


The Art of Gift Giving

by Sokorra



Series: The Christmas Prompts 2014 [4]
Category: Star Trek: Enterprise
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-19
Updated: 2015-06-19
Packaged: 2018-04-05 02:34:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4162386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sokorra/pseuds/Sokorra
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Or How Erika saved Christmas.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Art of Gift Giving

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MeredithBrody](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeredithBrody/gifts), [foreveranna](https://archiveofourown.org/users/foreveranna/gifts).



Erika didn’t know how, but somehow she would enact her revenge on her boyfriend. Somehow Jon had talked her into being T’Pol’s christmas shopping buddy, and by the time they made it to the third shop in the mall, she was ready to release those videos she had of Jon in college wearing her Aunt Tilda’s gown and the matching pearl necklace and earring set (clip ons naturally. Although Jon would be the type to pierce his ears just for the occasion). She had a whole box full of tapes of Jon marked “The Tequila Adventures”. Needless to say Jon wished she would destroy them.

This exercise was the reason she still kept them. That and Jon had amazing legs.

She took a calming breath and turned to T’Pol. “While a dictionary is a very useful item, I doubt its considered a good christmas gift. Thats more a gift you give to someone when they are going to school for the first time.” They were shopping for Hoshi, one of Jon’s tenants. T’Pol seemed to have limited her closest social network (AKA those who actually get gifts) to those who lived in the building with her. Erika suspected that her full list of friends and acquaintances wouldn’t be much longer though. T’Pol was a bit of an introvert, which caused her odd behavior to seem rude and condescending more times than it actually was. The only person who seemed to break her out of it was JOn and Trip, and the later more so.

Shopping for Malcolm, T’Pol’s floormate, had been the easiest and actually already done. T’pol had bought him a year subscription to a magazine on historical weaponry. Phlox, who lived in the apartment across from Hoshi was given a gift certificate to a pet store. Jon’s building allowed pets, which was a good thing as Phlox seemed to have a mangerie. Erika wasn’t sure if they were all his or if animals flocked to the Doctor like he was a Disney Princess.

However the other four tenants of the building seemed to be hard to buy for. T’Pol kept going for logical useful gifts, which weren’t entirely horrible but nonetheless not something someone would ask for christmas. Which is what led to T’Pol suggesting an unabridged dictionary for Hoshi, a linguist who taught at the local university.

“So the gifts should be less useful?”

“They can be useful, but its usually an item that they have wanted for awhile and haven’t bought themselves or an item that they would love in general. For example I am buying Jon a set of Gazelle shot glasses.”

“Gazelle?”

“Remember his drunken pep talk during the Fourth picnic?”

“Yes.” T’Pol tilted his head. “He seemed to think there was something patriotic about witnessing nature.”

“Well, I’m mocking him.”

“So gifts are to be made fun of?”

“They can be. Basically it should be something fun, or something they want. Like my brother gets socks every Christmas from his wife with funny sayings on them because he wears them out quickly and has this issue about barefeet. So you can mix the two.”

“What would you suggest then?”

“Well, perhaps a book.”

“hmm” Tpol seemed to ponder that. “Perhaps a book that si written in a language she hasn’t quite developed fluentity in, a challenge.”

“That sounds like a great idea.”

This was going a little easier now, but Jon was still going to pay.

~*~

Christmas Morning appeared as it always did in 602 Enterprise Court, slowly. While Malcolm Reed was up at dawn, a habit from his days in the military, the rest of the building slept in. The oddly close group of residents had decided to have a christmas lunch together in the lobby area.

They passed out presents and Erika was happy to see that T’Pol had decided to rethink her logical plan for gifts and instead got things people would find enjoyable as well as useful. Phlox and Malcolm’s gifts remained the same, which is what she expected. Hoshi received a book in Navajo, Travis received a movie collection of documentaries of the history of flight, and Trip got a book and movie combo, along with a note that said something that made him blush. Erika was curious as to what would cause the building’s handyman to blush, but also realised there was a good chance, along with many other things that happened in this building that she would get more then she asked for if she looked into it.

However Jon’s gift was the best of the lot. T’Pol had continued shopping after Erika had left for an appointment, and had bought her a set of tea infusers that looked like rubber duckies after she had expressed an interest in them. She never saw what she had gotten Jon.

Jon had pulled out a t-shirt, and at first looked at it confused before understanding dawned and he rolled his eyes laughing. He turned the T-shirt around.

Lifetime member of the Bagel Hall of Fame

The whole group started to laugh,as calling Jon a bagel had become a in-joke amongst them.

Perhaps shopping with T'Pol didn’t warrant the release of Tequila adventures quite yet.

End notes:  
The shirt: http://www.dictionarytshirts.com/view/3560773/lifetime-member-of-the-bagel-hall-of-fame-t-shirt  
The Tea Infuser: http://www.gaggifts.com/tea-duckie-tea-infuser.html?gclid=CI3HtPm178ICFe7m7AodMS8A8A  
The Shot glasses: http://www.cafepress.com/+its_a_gazelle_thing_shot_glass,137597693


End file.
